Monday, April 4, 2011
Gluten Free/Dairy Free Check In - Week Two
Well, I have officially rounded the bend of two weeks being dairy free. Our pediatrician says that it takes at least this long for the cow's milk proteins to get out of my tissues. Now for the next two weeks, we monitor Ben's behavior to see if the elimation diet has made any difference.
So what have I noticed?
This past week, it's like I have an entirely different baby. A baby that I actually enjoy being around, and believe it or not, I miss him when he goes to sleep. Ben has been a fussy, fussy baby since his 2nd day of life. It was downright exhausting most days. If he wasn't sleeping, he was crying or fussing and nothing could make him happy. Getting him to sleep was a battle most of the time too. You can imagine how frazzled and helpless I felt at the end of each day. But now? He's smiling this HUGE smiles that engulf his whole face. He's content to sit by himself in his bouncy seat and stare at the monkeys hanging from the bar in front of him. He kicks his legs and throws his arms out at the same time, thoroughly entertaining himself. He's chatting up a storm, filling our house will coos, gurgles, and loud shrieks. And he rarely fusses at all. He's happy to just stare at whatever is around him, taking it all in. It is amazing. And dare I say, EASY?
Yesterday we had him out and about all day long and he barely napped. I thought for sure that he was going to have a meltdown of epic proportions. But he didn't. He was just hanging out, quiet as can be. Several people even said he was such a "chill" baby. It's borderline weird to hear someone say that given the struggles we encountered during his first 10 weeks of life.
It's exhilarating though. I feel like a whole new woman. I can leave the house without worrying about whether or not he'll tolerate it! As far as my limited diet goes, I had a hard time at the beginning. I felt like I was starving to death the first couple of days. It was frustrating because it was like starting all over from the beginning. What unassuming products have dairy? What can I eat? How can I go on living without chocolate and ice cream, and most importantly, chocolate ice cream? But luckily with this elimination, I knew what to expect. I knew the first few days were the hardest. And I knew that loading up my house with several options of safe foods would be the key to my survival and sanity. And even luckier this time around, Udi's products already exist and are all dairy free as well! Best news of my life!
So I'm putting this elimination diet is the WIN category. I'm glad we figured this out. And I'm glad I already had experience being on a restricted diet because it really made for a smooth transition. Being GF/DF isn't the end of the world. Besides, if it wasn't for this little experiment I wouldn't have discovered my new favorite food: STRAWBERRY SORBET!! *dies*
So what have I noticed?
This past week, it's like I have an entirely different baby. A baby that I actually enjoy being around, and believe it or not, I miss him when he goes to sleep. Ben has been a fussy, fussy baby since his 2nd day of life. It was downright exhausting most days. If he wasn't sleeping, he was crying or fussing and nothing could make him happy. Getting him to sleep was a battle most of the time too. You can imagine how frazzled and helpless I felt at the end of each day. But now? He's smiling this HUGE smiles that engulf his whole face. He's content to sit by himself in his bouncy seat and stare at the monkeys hanging from the bar in front of him. He kicks his legs and throws his arms out at the same time, thoroughly entertaining himself. He's chatting up a storm, filling our house will coos, gurgles, and loud shrieks. And he rarely fusses at all. He's happy to just stare at whatever is around him, taking it all in. It is amazing. And dare I say, EASY?
Yesterday we had him out and about all day long and he barely napped. I thought for sure that he was going to have a meltdown of epic proportions. But he didn't. He was just hanging out, quiet as can be. Several people even said he was such a "chill" baby. It's borderline weird to hear someone say that given the struggles we encountered during his first 10 weeks of life.
It's exhilarating though. I feel like a whole new woman. I can leave the house without worrying about whether or not he'll tolerate it! As far as my limited diet goes, I had a hard time at the beginning. I felt like I was starving to death the first couple of days. It was frustrating because it was like starting all over from the beginning. What unassuming products have dairy? What can I eat? How can I go on living without chocolate and ice cream, and most importantly, chocolate ice cream? But luckily with this elimination, I knew what to expect. I knew the first few days were the hardest. And I knew that loading up my house with several options of safe foods would be the key to my survival and sanity. And even luckier this time around, Udi's products already exist and are all dairy free as well! Best news of my life!
So I'm putting this elimination diet is the WIN category. I'm glad we figured this out. And I'm glad I already had experience being on a restricted diet because it really made for a smooth transition. Being GF/DF isn't the end of the world. Besides, if it wasn't for this little experiment I wouldn't have discovered my new favorite food: STRAWBERRY SORBET!! *dies*
Friday, March 25, 2011
My Life Now
Well, the cat is out of the bag. I'm a mom now.
I had a relatively uneventful and normal pregnancy. My celiac disease was a non-issue the whole time. I am thankful to say that I remained gluten free during my entire pregnancy and did not encounter any cravings involving gluten-filled foods that I couldn't find a perfectly acceptable GF substitute for. Even eating gluten free at the hospital was a breeze. That surprised the hell out of me! They asked upon check in if I had any dietary restrictions, and then all my meals were completely gluten free without me having to utter another word about it. I expected the food to suck real bad too...one day they brought me gluten free french toast...but it was actually really good and I enjoyed it! I guess I worried about starving to death for nothing!
Other news...I am officially a stay at home mom. It was a decision that was made for me, unfortunately, when I was laid off three weeks before giving birth. It couldn't have come at a better time for us though, as we had been considering whether or not we could make me staying home with the baby work. I considered the lay off the universe's way of telling me that this is where I belong.
Benjamin is currently two and a half months old. I just found out at his doctor's appointment last week that he is having a reaction to something in my diet. It was something that I was suspecting given his fussy nature and other symptoms I noticed (rash, etc). So, I am currently eliminating all dairy and chocolate from my diet to see if it is the problem. I'm about a week into it right now. His pediatrician said to continue for 30 days to truly see if there is improvement or not. One of the first things I thought when I was told I'd have to start a gluten free diet was, "But wheat is in everything!" But gluten free and dairy free? Holy crap, that sure narrows your choices because milk is in everything too! Luckily for me though, the doctor said after 30 days I can slowly add dairy back to my diet to determine Benjamin's threshold. I'm already looking forward to eating the biggest chocolate bar I can get my hands on!!
I also talked to his doctor about whether or not my celiac disease makes him more susceptible for food sensitivities and he said no. It's just whether or not he got my celiac gene. We won't know obviously until he starts solid foods. And at that time we either watch for an obvious reaction or test to see if he's reacting. Either way he'd have to be ingesting glutenous foods. I'm undecided at this point what direction I want to go. Being gluten free isn't the end of the world. I've considered just avoiding introducing any gluten to his diet, at least for a while. I guess we'll figure it out when the time comes and I talk more in depth with our pediatrician. I'll get his opinion because I really feel he would know the best approach. I have to say that I was very impressed when I brought up celiac disease and he did not miss a beat. He was very well informed on the topic which brought me great comfort! I kind of expected an empty look when I brought it up, considering my history with my own doctors and the topic. One time I mentioned being gluten free to my doctor and, after giving me a confused look, he asked me why. I said, "because of my celiac disease...?" Way to go doc! Way to read my chart! Lol. I can handle myself though, but when it comes to my son, I'm glad he has a doctor who is knowledgable and educated on celiac disease. Hooray!
Other than that, life is good. Having a baby is hard work, there is no doubt about that! Giving up dairy and my favorite food group in the world (chocolate) has been difficult as well, but at this point, I'd eat rice all day every day if it meant my baby was a little happier (and easier) day to day.
Well, that's all for now. With that I'll leave you with a picture of Ben being totally awesome at life:
I had a relatively uneventful and normal pregnancy. My celiac disease was a non-issue the whole time. I am thankful to say that I remained gluten free during my entire pregnancy and did not encounter any cravings involving gluten-filled foods that I couldn't find a perfectly acceptable GF substitute for. Even eating gluten free at the hospital was a breeze. That surprised the hell out of me! They asked upon check in if I had any dietary restrictions, and then all my meals were completely gluten free without me having to utter another word about it. I expected the food to suck real bad too...one day they brought me gluten free french toast...but it was actually really good and I enjoyed it! I guess I worried about starving to death for nothing!
Other news...I am officially a stay at home mom. It was a decision that was made for me, unfortunately, when I was laid off three weeks before giving birth. It couldn't have come at a better time for us though, as we had been considering whether or not we could make me staying home with the baby work. I considered the lay off the universe's way of telling me that this is where I belong.
Benjamin is currently two and a half months old. I just found out at his doctor's appointment last week that he is having a reaction to something in my diet. It was something that I was suspecting given his fussy nature and other symptoms I noticed (rash, etc). So, I am currently eliminating all dairy and chocolate from my diet to see if it is the problem. I'm about a week into it right now. His pediatrician said to continue for 30 days to truly see if there is improvement or not. One of the first things I thought when I was told I'd have to start a gluten free diet was, "But wheat is in everything!" But gluten free and dairy free? Holy crap, that sure narrows your choices because milk is in everything too! Luckily for me though, the doctor said after 30 days I can slowly add dairy back to my diet to determine Benjamin's threshold. I'm already looking forward to eating the biggest chocolate bar I can get my hands on!!
I also talked to his doctor about whether or not my celiac disease makes him more susceptible for food sensitivities and he said no. It's just whether or not he got my celiac gene. We won't know obviously until he starts solid foods. And at that time we either watch for an obvious reaction or test to see if he's reacting. Either way he'd have to be ingesting glutenous foods. I'm undecided at this point what direction I want to go. Being gluten free isn't the end of the world. I've considered just avoiding introducing any gluten to his diet, at least for a while. I guess we'll figure it out when the time comes and I talk more in depth with our pediatrician. I'll get his opinion because I really feel he would know the best approach. I have to say that I was very impressed when I brought up celiac disease and he did not miss a beat. He was very well informed on the topic which brought me great comfort! I kind of expected an empty look when I brought it up, considering my history with my own doctors and the topic. One time I mentioned being gluten free to my doctor and, after giving me a confused look, he asked me why. I said, "because of my celiac disease...?" Way to go doc! Way to read my chart! Lol. I can handle myself though, but when it comes to my son, I'm glad he has a doctor who is knowledgable and educated on celiac disease. Hooray!
Other than that, life is good. Having a baby is hard work, there is no doubt about that! Giving up dairy and my favorite food group in the world (chocolate) has been difficult as well, but at this point, I'd eat rice all day every day if it meant my baby was a little happier (and easier) day to day.
Well, that's all for now. With that I'll leave you with a picture of Ben being totally awesome at life:
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Back From Hiatus
I am making my return to blogging and boy, do I have a lot to fill you in on!
I took a little hiatus from blogging, though I never devoted an offical post to it because, to be honest with you, I wasn't sure if it was going to be a hiatus or a permanent end.
I had been struggling a bit with the direction of my blog and felt I had lost why I originally started it to begin with. My initial vision for this blog was to write about my life living gluten free and somehow along the way I felt it dissolved into a strictly product review site. At the same time, I was struggling with whether or not I even wanted to share more of my private life. So, I was at a crossroads.
Then, one of the biggest events to ever hit my personal life happened. And I had a decision to make. I decided to take some time away to focus on my life, then would decide later on whether or not to continue. I made my blog private and deleted my twitter. I needed some time to focus on me, my husband, and our family. I didn't want the distractions of social media. Basically, I was burnt out. And I felt like I was living a lie because I had huge, huge things going on that I wasn't sure I wanted to share with the blogosphere.
What was that huge news? Well, I'm ready to share it now...
Ladies and gentleman, I am pleased to annouce our son, Benjamin, born in January 2011!!
I found out last May that I was pregnant and wasn't sure if I wanted to share such private information on the interwebs. After several months of debating, I decided just to take the stress of keeping up with the blog off my plate.
I have decided now that I want to continue with my blog but get back to what I always wanted it to be. No pressure, no guilt over not posting, just a girl in front of her computer writing about her life, which just so happens involves being gluten free (and dairy free and chocolate free, but more on that another time...).
I am excited to be back and part of the gluten free/blogging community once again. I'm sure there is a lot to catch up on!
(Also, I've restarted my Twitter (GF_Steph). Follow me here. Follow me so I can follow you!)
I took a little hiatus from blogging, though I never devoted an offical post to it because, to be honest with you, I wasn't sure if it was going to be a hiatus or a permanent end.
I had been struggling a bit with the direction of my blog and felt I had lost why I originally started it to begin with. My initial vision for this blog was to write about my life living gluten free and somehow along the way I felt it dissolved into a strictly product review site. At the same time, I was struggling with whether or not I even wanted to share more of my private life. So, I was at a crossroads.
Then, one of the biggest events to ever hit my personal life happened. And I had a decision to make. I decided to take some time away to focus on my life, then would decide later on whether or not to continue. I made my blog private and deleted my twitter. I needed some time to focus on me, my husband, and our family. I didn't want the distractions of social media. Basically, I was burnt out. And I felt like I was living a lie because I had huge, huge things going on that I wasn't sure I wanted to share with the blogosphere.
What was that huge news? Well, I'm ready to share it now...
Ladies and gentleman, I am pleased to annouce our son, Benjamin, born in January 2011!!
I found out last May that I was pregnant and wasn't sure if I wanted to share such private information on the interwebs. After several months of debating, I decided just to take the stress of keeping up with the blog off my plate.
I have decided now that I want to continue with my blog but get back to what I always wanted it to be. No pressure, no guilt over not posting, just a girl in front of her computer writing about her life, which just so happens involves being gluten free (and dairy free and chocolate free, but more on that another time...).
I am excited to be back and part of the gluten free/blogging community once again. I'm sure there is a lot to catch up on!
(Also, I've restarted my Twitter (GF_Steph). Follow me here. Follow me so I can follow you!)
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Don't Forget!!
Don't forget that the Greater Phoenix Gluten Free Expo is this Saturday, May 22nd!!! It is from 10 am to 2 pm at Sheraton Crescent Hotel! It's only 5ドル dollars at the door!
Hope everyone can make it out; I'm excited to see what they have in store for us!
Go here for more information.
Hope everyone can make it out; I'm excited to see what they have in store for us!
Go here for more information.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Winners of the Van's Free Coupons!!
Thanks to everyone who participated! The odds of winning were fantastic--everyone who entered won!! Yaaay!
So here's all the winners:
Blogger Entrants:
Michelle and Lauren
Twitter Entrants:
@kimicalg
@jenniferGFinGA
And yes, I said there would be 5 winners, but only 4 people entered! So I guess the last winner is...me!! Hooray! :)
To all the winners: Please email me your address at gfsteph@gmail.com or if on Twitter, please send it to me in a DM! I hope you all enjoy your free gluten free waffles/pancakes/french toast sticks! I know I will. :)
So here's all the winners:
Blogger Entrants:
Michelle and Lauren
Twitter Entrants:
@kimicalg
@jenniferGFinGA
And yes, I said there would be 5 winners, but only 4 people entered! So I guess the last winner is...me!! Hooray! :)
To all the winners: Please email me your address at gfsteph@gmail.com or if on Twitter, please send it to me in a DM! I hope you all enjoy your free gluten free waffles/pancakes/french toast sticks! I know I will. :)
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
It's Back!!! Gluten Free Jubilee at Sprouts!!
It's that time again, folks!!!! Gluten Free Jubilee at Sprouts!
May is Autism Awareness month at Sprouts and in honor of that, they are offering 25% off all gluten free products starting April 28th and continuing until June 2nd!!!
May is Autism Awareness month at Sprouts and in honor of that, they are offering 25% off all gluten free products starting April 28th and continuing until June 2nd!!!
Stop by your local Sprouts and stock up on all your favorite gluten free goodies! (including Van's products...have you entered to win a coupon for a FREE box yet!?!) While you're there, you can also elect to donote to Autism Speaks!!
Spread the word!
Monday, April 26, 2010
Van's Products Package Changes and enter to WIN a FREE COUPON!!!
Hi everyone! I hope April is treating you all well! We've been having one hell of a month, let me tell you! Phew! These 3 weeks of April have felt like 3 months!!
Well, I have exciting news to fill everyone in on. We all know how I LOVE Van's gluten free waffles, right? I have a SERIOUS love affair with the mini's, especially! I adore them and am never without a box in my freezer. I have been informed that Van's will be updating their packaging!! Here is a sneak peek for everyone:
Well, I have exciting news to fill everyone in on. We all know how I LOVE Van's gluten free waffles, right? I have a SERIOUS love affair with the mini's, especially! I adore them and am never without a box in my freezer. I have been informed that Van's will be updating their packaging!! Here is a sneak peek for everyone:
Love it!! I want to assure everyone that just because the package is changing, does not mean the delicious goodies on the inside are changing! I know too well (see the Milky Way incident) that those of us who are gluten free need to be incredibly wary and suspicious of any potential reformulations! But nothing is changing, other than the amazingly enticing picture on the front!
Keep an eye out for this new package! They should be slowly rolling out in stores anytime now or within the next couple of weeks. Van's has also launched a new website and a blog so check it out here!
Okay, now down to how you can WIN a free (yes, FREE) coupon for a box of Van's products!!
To enter to win you can do any of the following:
1. Leave a comment on this post and tell me which of Van's Products is your absolute FAVE! Perhaps the mini's like me? Or the gluten free apple cinnamon waffles? Maybe their gluten free french toasts sticks? Or maybe you just can't narrow it down and you love them all!!
2. Post on your blog about this giveaway and link back here! (please leave a comment or drop me an email at gfsteph@gmail.com with a link to the post)
3. Tweet the following: RT @GF_Steph Van's Super New Packaging & enter to win a FREE coupon! http://tinyurl.com/3x5x47d
4. This is for the super faithful: Send me a pic of yourself holding a box of your favorite Van's product! If you do this, you are so hardcore that I will give you TWO entries!
Hurry though, you'll only have until THURSDAY, APRIL 29TH at midnight to enter!! On Friday, I'll choose FIVE WINNERS and announce them here! So don't forget to check back!!
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